How do you solve a problem like Mt Coot-tha?

With the zipline gone, how does Brisbane best manage, use, and develop one of its most beloved and valuable green spaces?

The view from Mount Coot-tha is beloved by many.Credit:AAP/Dan Peled

A short drive out of Brisbane’s CBD, Mt Coot-tha’s looming presence is a reassuring place for many; a place to escape, a place to exercise, a place to ground yourself.

Its summit is beloved for the spectacular views across the city and the bay, with thousands of residents taking their friends and family up each day to see Brisbane from another angle.

The cycling and walking tracks are part of Brisbane’s most popular exercise areas, linking up to national park beyond.

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Late Thursday evening, Brisbane City Council’s most recent attempt to use Mt Coot-tha for a privately run zipline tourism experience was abruptly scrapped by new lord mayor Adrian Schrinner.

The about-face was met with relief from western suburb communities, many of whom formed action groups to fight against the project for fear of its environmental and community consequences.

But tourism experts argue the mountain should be developed properly, for the long-term benefit of Brisbane’s economy, its people, and the mountain itself.

On Thursday morning, a Committee for Brisbane panel discussion brought those differing views together to debate the future of the mountain.

The panel discussion, moderated by University of Queensland planner in residence Stephanie Wyeth, occurred hours before Cr Schrinner announced the zipline was “dead and buried”.

The next day, Committee for Brisbane released a statement saying the independent organisation was “disappointed” the project had been completely abandoned.

“The Committee is supportive of an environmentally responsible and economically viable tourism development on Mt Coot-tha that opens the mountain up to a broader range of people from a larger geographical area and provides an enhanced range of experiences,” president Brendan Christou said.

“This project was much more than a zipline. It was a wonderful opportunity to showcase Brisbane’s indigenous heritage, and it is sad that it will not proceed.”

So how can Brisbane use a natural icon, with Indigenous significance and community interest, to push the city’s economy that much further?

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And how can that be done without angering the community and destroying the very things Mt Coot-tha is known for - its green beauty and peace?

At the panel discussion, Queensland Tourism Industry Council chief executive Daniel Gschwind said residents loved Brisbane’s ability to “connect with nature” from the bay to the hinterland.

“It has never been easy to kind of explain to people looking at Brisbane what is about this city that makes it so special,” he said.

“That’s what tourism is about – sharing the lifestyle. We want to share what people love about living in Brisbane … and certainly Mount Coot-tha is a unique opportunity to do just that.”

While tourism was a key focus for the mountain’s future, Maiwar Greens MP Michael Berkman said it was local residents who had driven much of the opposition to the planned zipline project.

“The conflict that’s arisen out of the zipline proposal really reflects just how much locals value [Mt Coot-tha] and the risk to that amenity that people sense in the zipline project is really at the core of all the public response to it,” he said.

Using the zipline as an example of a wider issue, Mr Berkman said Brisbane’s state and council governance had a problem with not listening to community, and not taking into account the views of residents.

More than 3000 submissions to the zipline project protested its development, but were ignored when council approved the development.

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In particular, Mr Bermkan said, the public consultation process for development needed a complete overhaul – first to raise better awareness within the community, and second to ensure the views of residents were getting through to decision makers.

“Any proposal needs to be driven from the ground up,” he said.

Brisbane Marketing’s head of tourism and property Mark Olsen said New Zealand’s tourism experience provided a “clear example” of how Brisbane could best tap into tourism potential.

He said small, boutique experiences such as guided tours had provided a whole-of-location experience for tourists, and it had avoided the problem of large-scale operators and governors bulldozing community opinion.

“I think there is a lot we can learn about … grassroots-up improvement for places and including the community, including the entrepreneurial community in finding solutions,” he said.

Cycling and bushwalking are two of the most popular pursuits on the mountain.Credit:AAP/Dan Peled

Mr Olsen said in 2009 he had participated in a Mt Coot-tha community feedback process, which had confirmed the community wanted a “unique” tourism experience on the mountain.

“Having listened to the community, the tourism sector responded with its own clear plan in 2014 and I think we’re implementing that plan right now,” he said.

Cancelling the zipline project “puts a very large question mark” on whether tourism would be welcome and able to work with the community to develop Mt Coot-tha, Mr Olsen said.

“It does say that Brisbane isn’t really encouraging the visitor economy and it isn’t really encouraging investment in this sector of the global economy,” he said.

“There are obviously other places that capital would prefer to move and young entrepreneurs wanting to start businesses would look to start them elsewhere.”

But it’s not all greenery – three commercial television stations are stuck up on the mountain.

They originally went to the mountain as old technology required a high position. Whether they still need to be there is a different story.

Channel Nine Queensland general manager Kylie Blucher said it would cost millions to take the broadcast companies and their hundreds of employees off the mountain – but it would be a welcome change.

While no final agreement was found between conflicting views at the panel discussion, a theme was clear; that whatever happens to Mt Coot-tha, it must be with community support to protect Brisbane's beloved mountain.